Road Rage

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The Drive


We read every day about road rage. Many things that get attention in the news aren’t really new. Road rage is.

Why do normal human beings, when put in a powerful vehicle, become aggressive? At times, deadly aggressive.

A few years ago I read about a construction traffic controller being shot and killed. Think about the implications. An innocent man holds a red flag out for traffic to stop and the driver of a late model upper class vehicle pulls out a gun and shoots him.

It would be called an aberration if it only happened once. But, it happens all too frequently across this country. It happens so often it has it’s own name. Road Rage.

It’s a disease of the times. Is it terminal?

We as a society have push ourselves into corners. We spend too much, eat too much, play too hard, and always stay outwardly calm.

Inwardly, we are a pot ready to boil over.

And, we have to pay. We pay with piece of mind and overtime and edge of our seat uncertainty. Does Peter know I had to rob from Paul? It’s like dominos. Or, better yet, juggling.

Everything looks good as long as no one bumps one of the dominos or drops one of the balls.

If they fall, the consequences can be devastating. We can lose our families, our jobs, our toys, and most importantly, our piece of mind.

When the dominos start to fall, we go to the solace of the day, our cars. We have complete control. We are the master. We can turn it on or not. We can drive fast or not. We feel the power.

Then, people intrude. They bother us. They drive next to us. They take some of our control away. We lash out. We don’t want to lose what we see as the last thing we have authority over.

We use the intrusions to justify our anger, frustration, and self-loathing.

People read stories of road rage and declare that people just need to get a grip, slow down and live with the results of their actions. Easier said than done.

How many of people that lashed out at the cars around them have been shocked when someone lashed out at them.

Road Rage. Is there an answer?

It isn’t an easy one. But, the next time you sit in your living room and read the paper, think about the trip home.

Did you call another driver an idiot? Did you speed up so that a car next to you with their blinker on couldn’t get into your lane? Did you honk your horn because the person in front of you wasn’t going fast enough? Did you pass them then slow way down to ‘teach them a lesson?’

Did you?

How many more bills, disgruntled employees, bad evaluations, lost loves, or disobedient children would drive you to more extreme displays of hostility?

Have we gotten so busy and so stressed we’ve forgotten what’s important? Don’t become a statistic that others read about, popping their antacids, and shake their heads wondering how anyone could lose that much control.